State Highway Safety Showcase

TxDOT's impaired driving holiday campaign reminds everyone while they are planning for gifts and parties this holiday season, to also make it a priority to plan for a sober ride for themselves, their loved ones and their colleagues. What could be a better gift than to save someone's life? TxDOT is asking Texans to pledge to have a sober ride and to help secure sober rides for friends and family. People can plan ahead for a sober ride by visiting soberrides.org and lining up a sober driver, a taxicab, a bus or train ride.

The campaign will reach Texans statewide at community events, through social media, and advertisements on radio, TV, billboards, and the internet. TxDOT is bringing the message directly to people with the Holiday Sober Ride Sleigh Tour. It will feature the Sober Ride Sleigh, a donated limousine decorated to look like a giant holiday gift, complete with festive holiday decorations, gifts and a fireplace inside! This distinctive vehicle will travel to 15 Texas cities to spread the message encouraging everyone to give the gift of a sober ride.

Sober Ride Sleigh team members will greet and talk with people. Everyone will be encouraged to play simple trivia games aimed at increasing awareness about how advanced planning can save lives. They will also have the opportunity to fill out a pledge card for a chance to win one of the campaign’s donated prizes. After pledging or playing the trivia game, visitors will be invited to climb into the limo and take pictures. For those that pledge to have a sober ride, they have a chance to win either an all-expense paid trip to celebrate New Year’s in New York City (a donated prize that includes airfare, hotel accommodations for two nights, dinner and a Broadway show). The runner-up prize is a New Year’s Eve limousine ride in any city in Texas for one winner and a guest (donated by Limousines of San Antonio). People can visit HolidaySoberRide.com to pledge and receive all promotional giveaway details.

TxDOT is partnering with over 30 of the state’s largest employers to reach their workers before people attend company holiday parties and promote or sponsor sober rides. In addition, the National Safety Council will be distributing sober ride educational materials to over 800 Texas employers through a TxDOT-funded grant. To assist TxDOT in spreading the holiday life-saving message, the Texas Hospitality Association is distributing millions of sober driver messages and other materials across the state in stores, bars and restaurants where alcohol is sold. Additionally, Capital Metro in Austin has partnered with TxDOT to encourage people to use the bus as their sober ride home.

In addition to the public information and education, media, and outreach efforts, thousands of extra law enforcement officers will be out enforcing our state’s impaired driving laws during the holiday period.